Arsenal approaching next phase of Mikel Arteta transfer plan after £21.1m cash injection

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Arsenal are approaching the next phase of their summer transfer plan after shifting several fringe players from their ranks in a bid to generate some additional transfer funds. The Gunners have spent just under £120million on five new recruits for Mikel Arteta’s squad this window in the form of Marquinhos, Fabio Vieira, Matthew Turner, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Much to their credit, Arsenal wasted no time at all to close several important deals – not least the impressive acquisitions of former Manchester City duo Jesus and Zinchenko, who already look part of the furniture in north London.

Yet once the signing of the versatile and technically-gifted Ukrainian had been finalised, the club collectively decided the focus must shift to outgoings.

In the past 10 days, the Gunners have been working relentlessly to successfully negotiate several departures and although there is still some work to be done, Arsenal will feel more than satisfied with recent business.

Bernd Leno joined Fulham in a deal worth up to £8m including various related bonuses after four years in north London.

Express Sport understands Lucas Torreira’s permanent move to Galatasaray was also worth up to £7.2m with add-ons.

Furthermore, the loan departure of Pablo Mari – which was finally confirmed on Thursday afternoon – is also worth up to £5.9m, Express Sport has learned.

The Spaniard’s move includes an obligation to buy that is centred around the defender’s appearances in Italy and whether Monza secure survival in Serie A this season.

Collectively, the three deals are worth up to £21.1m should all of the various add-ons and finer details be fulfilled.

That’s a healthy return for a club that has historically struggled to generate cash through player sales having recently freed both Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Sead Kolasinac from their contracts in January.

Two of the greatest players of the Emirates era – Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil – were also allowed to depart for Manchester United and Fenerbahce on free transfers, respectively.

There are still a number of players that Arsenal want to offload before the transfer window closes on September 1 including Hector Bellerin, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Reiss Nelson.

Bellerin’s agent Albert Botines met with Arsenal on Wednesday to discuss the prospect of mutually terminating the final year of his client’s contract ahead of a potential return to Real Betis.

At the moment, Arsenal are not willing to comply as they still believe they are entitled to a small fee for Bellerin, who wants to return to the La Liga side following last season’s loan spell.

Back-up goalkeeper Runar Alex Runarsson is also the subject of transfer negotiations with Turkish side Alanyaspor.

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Now the crux of Arsenal outgoings have been resolved – including the loan departures of Nuno Tavares (Marseille) and Folarin Balogun (Stade Reims) – the club are expected to begin work on making some final additions to their squad.

A winger, capable of providing cover and competition for Bukayo Saka, remains of interest but could still be dependent on the future of Nicolas Pepe.

The Ivorian has already ruled that he sees his future in north London, where he wants to fight for his place after yet another underwhelming season last term.

A number of names including Cody Gakpo, Yeremy Pino and Jarrod Bowen have been loosely linked with Arsenal but the Gunners are yet to formally move for any reported targets as they continue to operate beneath the radar.

A central midfielder also remains of interest and Leicester City’s Youri Tielemans is a name that continues to be pushed towards Arsenal, who are yet to show any signs of pursuing a deal to date.

Speaking after the 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, Arteta made it clear that more signings were on the agenda in correspondence with the club’s summer business plan.

He told Sky Sports: “We are going to try. We have a few things going on now and if we get them it will be great – but for now, we have to work with the players we have.”

Arsenal have shown they will not be rushed into knee-jerk signings and instead, they will continue to monitor the market with caution, patiently awaiting the right openings to continue their undeniable improvement both on and off the field.

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